Brave
by Rosemary Vienna
Summary: When Phoebe becomes ill after spending a night in the rain to save a 'forest', it falls to Joey to take care of her. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, etc.

_Set during season seven._

Chandler paused on the stairs to listen, unable to make sense of the sequence whilst thundering down them with an armful of dirty laundry.

"Ow," step, "ow," step, "ow," step, "ow," Rachel appeared around the corner below, trudging gingerly up the stairs towards him.

"Hey Rach,"

She looked up, noticing him, and groaned, "Oh, my feet are killing me!"

"Really? Mine just give me the occasional rebellious glare – although there are times when I've had to sleep with my socks on…"

"It's these new shoes that Monica bought me. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but I wore them to work today and it's like every shoe I've ever thrown out has come back to get me," she explained, taking another step. "Ow!"

Chandler shifted his grip on the laundry, "Well I've got my hands full, but I've – Monica – has some foot moisturizer in the bathroom that might help. Our apartment's open,"

"Thanks Chandler,"

"No problem; always happy to help in cases of podiatric aggression," and he continued down the stairs. Rachel made her way slowly up the remaining flight and down the hallway to Monica and Chandler's apartment. She pushed open the door and stepped inside.

On the couch, Ross looked up from his book and turned around, "Hey,"

"Hi Ross," Rachel sat down in the kitchen on the nearest chair and proceeded to take off her shoes. A blister burst and she reached for a paper towel to soak up the fluid.

"Are you – are you alright?" Ross wandered over to inspect the damage, "Ouch."

"Yeah," Rachel agreed, gazing with him at the red, chaffed patches that covered her feet. "Chandler said that there's some foot moisturizer in the bathroom that might help. Could you get that for me?"

"Yeah, sure." He returned a minute later with two unequally-sized bottles, sat down on the chair next to hers and lifted her feet onto his lap. She read the labels. The larger of the two contained foot moisturizer; the smaller, antiseptic. He poured antiseptic onto another paper towel and she made a face.

"Hey, do you want these to get infected?"

"No…"

"Good, now I just need you to hold still…"

Rachel leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes, wincing as he started to clean the sores, "Oh… oh that's not so bad…" The blisters began to numb and she opened her eyes to see Ross shoot her a grin. Suddenly they heard footfall and voices coming up the stairs towards them.

"Don't you need to do your laundry soon?" Chandler asked.

"Nah, I just did it a week ago," Joey responded.

"But don't you only have like, six pairs of underwear?"

"Well yeah, that's why I do my laundry every twelve days. Right now I'm only on day six, so I haven't even started using the other sides of them yet!" Ross and Rachel laughed, and he reached for the moisturizer.

She couldn't help squirming while he smoothed it carefully over her feet,"Stop it, Ross, that tickles!"

Footsteps stopped outside the door and Joey and Chandler entered, heading for the couch.

"Stop what?" Ross asked innocently, continuing to run his fingers lightly across the underneath of one foot until she kicked his hand away.

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Author's Note: I've pretty much got all of this story planned out already, so I'll update soon - I just have to type the next chapters up and figure out the details.

This is my first Friends fanfic, so I would really appreciate any feedback!


	2. Chapter 2

The ad break came on and Monica got up to check the pot of tomato soup simmering on the stove.

"Okay everyone, it's ready. Come and get a cup,"

"Food!" Not surprisingly, Joey was the first one there. Chandler followed a few moments later at a more moderate pace.

"I'm coming…" Monica looked up to see Rachel limping slowly towards the kitchen. She smiled and met her half way with a mug.

"Thanks Mon,"

"Oh yeah," Chandler turned around on the couch, "thanks Mon." Joey echoed the sentiment and Monica sat down beside them. The ad break still hadn't ended and they watched the rain pouring down the window.

"Oh no," Monica stood, having just focused beyond the rain, "Phoebe's purse is out on the balcony. It'll be ruined!" She hurried out regardless, in a futile effort to save it.

"So where is Phoebe anyway?" Rachel asked.

Chandler thought it over, "At work, I guess. Maybe someone had a late appointment,"

"For ten-thirty at night?"

"Well maybe it was actually for ten-thirty in the morning and she got mixed up," suggested Joey. "Easy mistake to make, trust me,"

"No," Rachel interjected, "Phoebe doesn't work today."

"Yeah she does – she was telling me…" They all turned to Joey, watching as a memory surfaced in his mind. "She said she was spending today saving some trees at that park a few blocks down."

"I didn't know anyone was trying to get rid of those trees,"

"Me neither," he answered, "but they must be if she's worried enough about it to want to handcuff herself to a tree all day,"

"Handcuff herself to a tree?" Monica asked him, returning.

"That's what she said. Why?"

"Because I just found this," Monica reached into the dripping purse and held up a small key. "Joey, which park did you say she was at,"

"Um, that one, you know, just down the street a few blocks,"

Raindrops continued to pound against the roof and windows. "Alright, we'll take a taxi." Monica pointed at Joey, "You're coming with me. Chandler, look in my wardrobe and see if you can find some warm clothes that might fit Phoebe,"

"Hey," Rachel interrupted as Monica and Joey headed out the door, "what do I do?"

Monica paused for a moment, "Um… watch the soup, alright?"

"Okay,"

It took less than a minute for a taxi to come by, and two minutes later they left it, asking the driver to wait.

"Phoebe?" Joey called across the shadowed park.

"Over here!" They hurried towards the sound and found her standing beneath a tree, both wrists locked in handcuffs which were looped over one of the branches half a metre above her head. "Yeah, so, turns out this forest isn't one of the ones that needs saving," she told them as they reached her.

"We found the key for the handcuffs in your purse," Monica explained.

"Oh that's great! Where is it?"

"It's right…" Monica searched her pockets, "okay so I forgot to actually bring it with me…"She walked over to the trunk of the tree, "Joey, give me a boost." With his help, she scrambled up far enough to climb out onto the branch to which Phoebe was attached, then took hold of the handcuff chain and pulled until it broke apart.

"Wow Monica," Phoebe exclaimed, sitting down in a puddle, "you really are like freakishly strong – I've been trying to do that since this morning and all I got were sore wrists!"

Monica swung down off the branch to the ground, "Are you alright to walk? We've got a taxi waiting on the road,"

"Really? That's where I keep my grandmother's taxi! It must be catching on," she stood, swaying precariously.

Monica put an arm around her friend to steady her, "Come on Pheebs, let's get you out of the rain,"

~*~

"Rachel, could you hand me the key from that purse?" Monica asked as they arrived, guiding Phoebe to the couch, where she sat shivering. "Chandler, go get the spare blanket from the closet, please." When he returned, Joey tucked the blanket around Phoebe and Monica took a seat opposite her on the coffee table, key in hand.

"Oh…" they all flinched at the sight of raw cuts as Monica lifted the handcuffs away.

"Joey, could you pass me that antiseptic on the table please?" she asked him, "It's the small bottle – and a paper towel,"

"Sure," he replied, still looking at Phoebe. Exhaustion had taken over and she'd hardly said a word since they'd got her into the taxi.

"Thanks," Monica dampened the paper towel and held onto one wrist. "Okay Pheebs, sweetie, this might sting a little at first," she warned before gently daubing over the cuts.

Phoebe kept still; quiet and unflinching. Only Joey, sitting close with an arm around her shoulders, heard the soft whimpers.


	3. Chapter 3

Warm and dry again, with her wrists wrapped in neat white bandages, Phoebe sipped at the last of her soup and tried to stay awake.

"Do you want someone to walk over to your apartment with you?" Joey asked from beside her.

"Oh, no I'll be okay. Thanks though," she yawned and stood to leave.

"Are you sure?" Monica worried, "You still look awfully pale,"

Phoebe turned to reply, but all that came out was tomato soup and whatever she'd had for breakfast, displayed in an abstract fashion across the rug.

Chandler stood up quickly to stand by his fiancée while she struggled not to panic. "Monica. Monica! It's okay; you know how to fix it,"

He was pleased to see her stop gasping and respond, "Uh-huh," then rattle off a list of methods and cleaning products which only she could understand.

"You go do that then,"

"Okay!" she hurried off to her cupboard of cleaning supplies.

Meanwhile, Joey sat Phoebe back down and handed her a paper towel to clean the vomit off her face. Rachel shuffled over to place a hand against her forehead, "Ooh, honey you're burning up! Monica, she can't go back to her apartment like this; someone needs to be around to watch out for her,"

"Well, we do have the guest bedroom…" Monica admitted, still cleaning the mess on the floor, and cringing at the thought of it on one of her quilts.

"I can take care of her," Joey offered. "She can sleep in Rachel's room – if everyone is alright with Rach being in the guest bedroom,"

"Yeah, that could work. Are you sure?"

"Sure, it makes more sense anyway since you guys will be out at work all day tomorrow,"

"And you won't be?"

"Nah, they're taking a break from filming 'Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E.' at the moment. Problems with the budget or something,"

"Aw, really? Well at least that works out well for Phoebe,"

"Yeah," Joey agreed and Phoebe yawned. "Are you ready to go?"

She nodded, and Joey and Rachel accompanied her across the hallway – Rachel returning to Monica's apartment a few minutes later with pajamas.

"I'll get you something that you can puke into if you have to do that again tonight," Joey explained to Phoebe, heading back out of Rachel's room to the kitchen. When he came back carrying a large mixing-bowl and a glass of water, she was already curled up under the covers, asleep. He nudged her gently until she opened her eyes, "Hey, just so you know, I'm putting this big bowl down here by the bed, and there's water for you by the lamp,"

"Oh…thanks…Joey…" she mumbled, her eyes reclosing.

"Are you warm enough?" There was no reply. "Ok, I'll put the spare blanket on and you can just throw it off if you get too hot." He spread out the blanket and tucked it in around her shoulders, then left, pausing briefly to lift a stray lock of hair away from her face, and watch her smile in her sleep.


End file.
